Coward of the County

Country stars Luke Bryan and Zac Brown ended their feud with an embrace at the 47th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday night (06Nov13). As event co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood urged warring country stars to get along by singing War's Why Can't We Be Friends, Bryan and Brown met in the audience at the Bridgestone Arena for a hug.
The two stars fell out when Brown went public with his dislike for Bryan's hit My Kinda Night, which he opened the show with.
The Zac Brown Band frontman called the single the "worst song" he's ever heard, adding it makes him want to "throw up" every time he hears it.
Justin Moore and Jason Aldean both jumped to Bryan's defence, but the singer himself opted not to fight back.
Paisley and Underwood, who are co-hosting the ceremony for the sixth time, also poked fun at feuds between Kanye West and comedian Jimmy Kimmel and the Jonas Brothers as part of their impromptu acoustic performance at the top of the show, and then called on singer Kellie Pickler to hand out "feuding assignments" to stars like newlywed Kelly Clarkson, who was urged to start a fight with her real-life mother-in-law Reba McEntire, with Paisley joking, "That was bound to happen eventually!" - and Kenny Rogers, who was picked to feud with the Celebrity singer onstage.
Paisley stopped singing and hurled joke insults at the Coward of the County singer, stating, "Kenny Rogers is pure evil!"

This week’s of Once Upon a Time is arguably the most important episode we’ve ever seen. In “Manhattan,” fans not only learned the identity of Rumpestilskin’s son Bae, but they also realized that we’ve met this man before. A seer’s predictions have finally come to pass and the wicked witches of Storybrooke discovered how to defeat “The Dark One” once and for all. Read on for all the enchanting details below!
Fairytale Land Foreseeing: The episode opens and we see that Rumplestilskin excitedly enters his house to tell Mila some vey big news. He’s been called to the front lines of the Orgre Wars and announces that he leaves for training first thing in the morning. Mila is not too happy to see that Rumple will have to take part in such a brutal war saying, “Just because you’re father was a coward, it doesn’t mean that you are.” But Rumple is thrilled to have this opportunity to change the reputation that he was born into, and lovingly tells Mila that when he returns they can finally start a family.
At the army camp, Rumple is told to guard a cage that contains a “tricky beast” and it only takes 2.5 seconds for Rumple’s curiosity to get the better of him. He lifts the sheet and sees that a young girl, with her eyelids sewed shut, is in locked in a cage. This young girl is a seer and she uses the palm of her hands to sense the world around her. Rumple gives the young girl water in exchange for a peek into his future.
The seer predicts, “Your wife will bare you a son but your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless.” To prove that the seer is not spreading lies, she tells Rumple, “Tomorrow when you see the armies ride cows into battle you will know that I speak the truth.” That night, the officials announce that they will be headed into the frontlines on horseback the following morning, but that they should “grab a cow” — aka a saddle — to ride on.
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time’ Recap: A Giant Guest Star Returns
Rumple is devastated and realizes that the only way to avoid leaving his son fatherless is to injure himself instead of facing the ogres the next morning. Rumple takes a giant mallet, clubs his foot, and cries out in anguish.
Rumple hobbles home to see that Mila has already given birth to their son and bestowed a “strong name” upon him—which according to Mila is something that he is going to need now that he has to life with having a coward for a father. It’s clear that Mila no longer loves Rumple when she reveals that she wished he would’ve died in the war rather then return home as a huge embarrassment. She leaves Rumple with Baelfire and promises to never abandon him.
Years later and we see that Rumple, as the dark one, is walking through the forest and has tracked down the same seer that he once met long ago. He has come to the seer in search of his son, and she then spills everything she knows, “This will not be an easy path and it will take many years and require a curse. A curse powerful enough to rip everyone from this land. You will not cast the curse, someone else will. And you will not break the curse someone else will.” To gain the rest of the answers, Rumple steals the seer’s powers and gains the gift and burden for looking into the future.
To thank him for freeing her, the seer offers Rumple another piece of the puzzle: “You will be reunited with your son and it will come in the most unexpected way. A boy. A young boy will lead you to him but beware Rumplestilskin for that boy is more that he appears. He will lead you to what you seek but there will be a price, the boy will be your undoing.” Rumple sneers, “Then I’ll just have to kill him.”
RELATED: ‘Once Upon A Time' Recap: Make Believe, Monsters, And Mothers
Storybrooke Sneakiness: In Storybrooke, a distraught Regina is having some mother/daughter bonding time with Cora, telling her that Emma and Henry have left town with Gold. Eager for his revenge, Hook says that he wants to leave town, track down the now powerless Rumple and kill him. But Cora has a better idea, she suggests that they search for the one weapon that they ultimately need to kill him: his dark one dagger.
Regina enters a hospital room to find Belle—wearing a yellow hospital gown of course—and still completely void of her memories. With one wave of her had, Regina puts Belle to sleep and then uses her magic to fish an index card out from Belle’s purse across the room.
Over in the library, the terrible threesome Regina, Cora, and hook are searching the shelves. Regina explains, “Gold wouldn’t risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger’s location to someone. My guess is she hid it in one of her beloved books.” But rather than finding a book, they find a map.
Hook uses his handy-dandy pirate skills to track the location of the dagger, but it’s clear that Cora does no want him coming with them on their journey. She uses her magic to throw Hook at the wall of books and reveals her plan to her daughter: They are going to find the dagger, use it to control Rumple so that he will kill Snow, Charming, and Emma, and then Henry will fully belong to Regina.
Back in the hospital, Craig — the creepy intruder who drove his car across the Stroybrooke town lines — is telling someone on the phone that he has been discharged from the hospital. However, the overly curious stranger has no intentions of leaving Storybrooke just yet and reveals that he captured Regina performing magic on video.
RELATED: ‘Once Upon A Time' Recap: Potions, Princes, And Payback
Manhattan Mysteries: Rumple, Emma, and Henry have arrived in Manhattan and although they know which building Bae lives in, they have no idea which apartment number it is. Emma rings the number that she believes is Bae’s, but rather than inviting them up, Bae escapes their visit by rushing down the fire escape. Rumple uses this opportunity to cash in his deal with Emma: ‘That favor you owe me, this is it. Get him to talk to me.”
Emma sprints after Bae and when she finally catches him (or rather, smacks into him) she is baffled to see that Bae is actually Neil — aka the only man she’s ever loved and Henry’s father. Emma is in a full-blown panic thinking that Neil was playing her this whole time and that their relationship was nothing more that a ploy to get her to Storybrooke. However, Neil promises to tell her everything she wants to know as long as they get out of the middle of the street, so a very cautious Neil and mind-blown Emma sit down in a little pub.
Neil tells Emma that he had no idea that she was the savior (“If I did I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near you.”) but that he later found out when August approached him. The scene flashes back and fans finally get to see what it is that August showed Neil in the box to make him abandon his girlfriend.
RELATED: Once Upon A Time' Recap: Crickets, Crimes, And Curses
In the box was a typewriter, and there was one short yet very straightforward sentence: “I know you’re Baelfire.” Neil goes on to tell Emma that he believes it was destiny that brought them together: “Maybe we met for a reason, maybe something good came from us being together.” But Emma is quick to guard the truth about Henry so she lies and says, “No. Not that I can think of, just went to jail that’s it.”
Emma decides to let Neil go and agrees to lie to Rumple and say that he got away. Rumple is not ready to accept defeat so he breaks into his son’s apartment in search of clues and to hopefully learn more about him. As soon as they enter the room, Emma is hypnotized by the dream-catcher hanging on the window. It’s the same one that Neil stole for her all those years ago and she is in disbelief that he still has it.
Rumple quickly realizes that Emma is hiding the truth from him and just as he was starting to get irate, shouting, “No one breaks deals with me!” Neil/Bae bursts into the room saying to leave her alone. It only takes a few seconds for Rumple to realize that Neil and Emma have a history together. While the tensions are high, Henry emerges from the other room and says the one thing that could make the situation a thousand times worse: he calls Emma “mom.”
RELATED: ‘Once Upon A Time’ Winter Finale Recap: Wonderland, Whirlpools, And Welcomes
A shocked Neil asks how old Henry is and whether or not this is his son. Emma reluctantly says yes and Neil looks like he’s about to burst into tear and Henry is so overwhelmed that he dashes out on the fire escape. He tells Emma that she is just like Regina because she lied to him and then tells her that all he wants is to meet his father.
Meanwhile inside, Neil tells Rumple that he only has three minutes to say everything that he has been wanting to say for over 28 years. Rumple reveals that he’d like to take Neil back to Stroybrooke and use his magic to turn back time so can make up for all the years that they lost. To which Neil appropriately snaps, “I don’t want to be 14 again are you insane?!” Neil tells Rumple that he wants absolutely nothing to do with him and he should have never abandoned him.
Emma tells Neil that Henry is asking for him and warns her former flame not to break her son’s heart. Neil heads out to the fire escape and after a brief introduction, Henry and Neil share a comfortable father/son silence. Rumple is watching with envy as his son and newly discovered grandson are bonding, and he remembers what the seer told him long ago. In order to save his own life, he’ll have to kill Henry.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Once Upon a Time? Were you surprised to see that Neil is actually Bae? How do you think the seer’s prediction is going to pan out? Cast your spell in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: ABC]
From Our Partners:
Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz)
Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward, Sweaty (Vh1)

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! The day known for love, compassion, and spending a fortune on pretty weeds and chocolate-covered calories. Yay! Unlike the majority of the female population, I personally love February 14. It’s the one-day of the year that combines three of the world’s best things: wine, glitter, and oh-so sweet shipper moments on our favorite TV shows!
This week’s edition of Leanne’s Spoiler List is sweetly sprinkled with love and plenty of your favorite TV goodies. I spilled almost everything I know from Sunday’s jaw-dropping episode of Once Upon a Time and the drama-packed hour of The Good Wife. I gathered some Valentine’s Day scoop for The Middle and will they/won’t they details from The Carrie Diaries. I also chatted with the unbelievably lovely Sutton Foster about what's twirling into town on Bunheads. Happy Valentine’s Day, TV lovers!
RELATED: Leanne’s Spoiler List: Kaley Cuoco’s Sister To Star On ‘Big Bang Theory’s Valentine’s Day Ep
1. Twitter Question: @charmingfinchel: Once Upon a Time the "Manhattan" episode!
Hmm, well that wasn’t really a question; it was more like an excited demand. Luckily for you, my head is still spinning from watching this Sunday’s all-new episode, “Manhattan,” and I need to gush about what happened. Not only do we learn the identity of Rumpelstiltskin’s son Baelfire, the episode is also jam-packed with answers to our most burning questions.
In the flashbacks to Fairytale Land, fans will get a deeper peak into Rumple’s life B.M. — Before Magic, that is. Mila is back and for a brief, shining moment you’ll see a sweet side to the pirate-loving, child-abandoning cheater. OUaT lovers will also finally learn exactly what happened to Rumple in The Ogre Wars and trust me when I tell you, the situation was much more complicated than you could ever imagine. Some might still call Rumple a coward, but after seeing this episode, I now think of him as a caring, kind-hearted hero. Weird, I know.
Over in Storybrooke, Emma calls with news that leaves Charming and Snow adorably baffled, while the evil threesome—Regina, Cora, and Hook—are searching for the one thing that can finally take down “The Dark One.”
But here’s where it gets good: Rumple and Bae finally have their much-needed heart to heart. (Even though it’s only three minutes long, per Bae’s request.) Although I can’t reveal who his son is — I’m pretty sure ABC would send Snow to shoot an arrow straight though my heart — I can tell you that we may have seen this person in the past. Or maybe not. Oh, and all you August fans out there are definitely going to want to tune in this week!
RELATED: Leanne’s Spoiler List: Couple Alert! What’s Next for Nick and Jess on ‘New Girl’?
2. The Carrie Diaries: Limo Loving
New Goal in Life: Be an extra for a day on the set of The Carrie Diaries. Bonus points if they’re filming another school dance like in the upcoming episode “Caught” (airing Feb. 25, bee-tee-dubs). If you’re not watching this delightful Sex and the City prequel, then you really need to reevaluate your DVR priorities. Not only is this show addictingly sweet and filled to the brim with Google-worthy fashion pieces, young Carrie (AnnaSophia Robb) is simply sensational.
This week we met Carrie’s new beau George, and in a few weeks we’ll see that this super tall hunk is still very much in our leading lady’s life — but so is Sebastian. While Carrie is rocking the world’s most amazing mint green dress at the Winter Dance, fans will see that V-word is something that will finally be addressed. And to all you sweet-minded fans, I’m not talking about valentines. Let’s just say she’ll be having a very Chuck and Blair moment in the back of a limo.
With Carrie off dancing the night away, Dorrit is finally spending some one-on-one time with their dad. And fans will also see a first glimpse of Carrie’s knack for writing when her quippy headline makes it into Interview Magazine.
Plus, get excited for Carrie’s best line of the episode — and the best SATC jab yet: “If I’m still dating and talking about guys in my thirties, someone needs to smother me with a pillow.” Hah! Oh, Miss Bradshaw, if only you knew…
RELATED: Leanne’s Spoiler List: Which ‘Pretty Little Liar’ Could Be A? ‘Glee,’ ‘The Following’ and More
3. The Middle: I Heart The Hecks
It’s no surprise that I love sparkly things. So you can imagine my extreme delight when Brick Heck, sent me a personalized valentine yesterday. There is red glitter all over my desk and I’ve never been happier — that is until I saw tonight’s episode of The Middle and realized that he gave Frankie and I the exact same valentine. Matching girlfriend and mother presents is quite a big step, but I’m glad that Brick is confident in our love. Swoon!
Love is in the air in the Heck house tonight, and while Mike’s idea of romance is finally taking the Christmas tree out to the curb, his co-workers decide to tackle his “intimacy issues” and suggest new ways to show his love for Frankie. Meanwhile, Axl and his Boss Co. crew come up with the world’s most genius — and yet incredibly douchey — way to make money off his classmates’ V-Day misery.
And Sue is once again trying to channel the world’s supply of optimism and signs up to be on the clean-up crew for the school’s Valentine’s Day dance. She exclaims, “I may not be in love, but I can still clean up from people in love!”
The Middle is not typically a show filled with spoilers, but I reveal that tonight’s episode has a massively amazing twist at the end. I literally gasped, squealed from delight, and the re-watched the moment three more times. If you’ve never seen The Middle, then shame on you! But you’re in luck, because tonight is the perfect episode to jump into the craziness of the Heck house.
RELATED: Leanne's Spoiler List: Cocaine Fueled Adventure on 'Girls', Megan Hilty Talks 'Smash' Romance
4. The Good Wife: A Sweet Surprise
This Sunday’s episode, “Red Team/BlueTeam” is a whirlwind of classic Good Wife drama. Now that Lockhart Gardner's debt issue has been resolved, the partners are less inclined to let newbies in — so the status of Alicia, Carey, and the rest of the fourth years' partnership offers is up in the air. In the meantime, Diane and Will ask the officemates to argue against them in a mock trial to prep for a lawsuit against their energy drink company clients.
As Alicia and Carey throw themselves into the case, they get angrier and angrier that they might not get their promotions. Could they strike out on their own together? From competitors to potential partners — those two have come a long way over the years and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this to happen.
Eli enlists Elsbeth's help in the criminal case building against him, and once again the quirky lawyer finds a way to outsmart her competition. Sure, she's a weirdo, but I'd hire her in a heartbeat!
And since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, here's a sweet treat: Keep an eye out for an unexpected romantic moment during Sunday's episode. I'm not telling who kisses, but let's just say I screamed at my screen — and you will too!
RELATED: Leanne’s Spoiler List: 'Glee' Star Naya Rivera Talks NYC and Bram, ‘Justified’ Season 4 Scoop
5. Bunheads: Red-Hot Fun
Lemme just start this off by saying that my go-to show is Gilmore Girls — always has been, always will be. So the fact that Amy Sherman-Palladino is has sprinkling some of my favorite Stars Hallow residents into Bunheads has been particularly thrilling for me. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you.
There are only two more episodes left in the winter season of Bunheads, and they will definitely make your head spin. I had the pleasure of speaking with the legenday Sutton Foster yesterday and she filled me in on everything that’s coming up in next Monday’s episode.
“There’s a fire and the dance studio becomes one of the evacuation zones, so Michelle becomes one of the co-captains to oversee the disaster.” Foster continues, “All the characters are forced to be in the same place at the same time all the girls, all their love-interests and the girls decide to take their relationships to new levels.” Cue the cat fight and tutus!
So while the girls are figuring out their love lives, our leading lady is left trying to keep everything in order. Sutton says, “Michelle becomes more of a parental figure and watching every body and then reluctantly being put into a position of responsibility and that is ot necessarily her strong points.”
I then suggested that Michelle should bring back her polyester-powered panysuit to give her the courage to handle the responsibilities. Sutton laughed, “Oh no! Thank god I’ll never have to put that pant suit back on. But there is a lot of silly crazy and fun stuff in the next two episodes.” Can’t wait to watch it all twirl out of control!
Who do you think is Rumplestilskin’s son in Once Upon a Time? Is Carrie ready to give up her V-card in The Carrie Diaries? Excited to see all the drama unfold on Bunheads? Will you be my Valentine, TV lovers? Tell me everything in the comments below!
—Additional Reporting by Jean Bentley
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: CREDIT: Jack Rowand/ABC; David M. Russell/CBS; Adam Taylor/ABC Family; Michael Ansell/ABC; Patrick Harbron/The CW]

This week’s episode of Once Upon a Time sailed equally between the rough waters of Fairytale Land’s past and the slightly choppy seas of Storybrooke’s present. Although Emma, Snow and Regina were completely absent for the entire 47 minutes, viewers were rewarded with an in-depth look into Rumpelstiltskin’s past and were hooked on the mystery surrounding the most famous pirate in all the land. So batten down the hatches, grab your sword, and some hot guy-liner because we’re about to walk the plank into everything you missed in “The Crocodile.”
Fairytale Land Foes: It’s time for another pre-magic Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) flashback! Fun-fact: Did you know that Rumple was married? We are quickly introduced to Milah, a total guys-girl who is currently evading her motherly responsibilities with booze and does not seem to think too highly of Rumple. “Oh, it’s no one. Just my husband,” she sneers at her hubby to a bar filled with men. After coaxing his drunken wife to return home with him, Rumple learns that Milah wishes that her husband had died “like a man” in the ogre wars, instead of returning home to his family as a coward. Come on girl, that’s way harsh.
It turns out the men that Milah was flirting with are not the nicest fellas—they’re pirates and they’ve taken her captive as their ship wench. In an attempt to get her back, Rumple hobbles aboard the ship and comes face-to-face with the most famous pirate of all time Jack Sparrow Killian Jones (Colin O'Donoghue). Jones agrees to give up his plank-skank if Rumple can win her fair-and-square in a duel, but “the coward” refused to even pick up the sword. Jones taunts, “A man not wiling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets,” and Rumple is forced to return home to raise his son Bae without a mother.
Fast-forward and we see Rumple wheeling and dealing in a bar as “The Dark One” clearly enjoying the fear his magic causes in those around him. One smarmy man with a red knit cap approaches Rumple promising to give him a magical bean that has the power to jump between worlds in exchange for eternal youth. Rumple who is very keen on the idea of escaping to a different land, agrees to the deal, but just as he was about to leave the bar his old nemesis Captain Jones waltzes into the pub. Rumple purposely brushes by Jones in hopes of getting a rise out of the hotheaded pirate. It works. “Even gutter rats have more manners than you,” Jones jeers to the man who bumped into him, but once the sea traveler gets a closer look at Rumple’s scaly skin, he quickly changes his insult: “I was wrong, not a rat at all. More like...a crocodile!” Rumple then reveals his face and instantly Jones recognizes him as both The Dark One and the man whose wife he stole many many years ago. Whoops! But it turns out “She’s dead. Died a long time ago,” Jones regretfully admits after Rumple demands to know the fate of Miss Milah.
Rumple decides that it’s time that he and Jones finally have their duel, so the next morning at dawn The Dark One sets to battle the beyond-handsome pirate. Jones quickly realizes that he is nowhere skilled enough to defeat all that dark magic and bows down, awaiting the blow from the sword. “No!” Rumple snarls, “Do you know what it’s like to have your wife stolen from you? To feel powerless to stop it? It feels like having your heart ripped from your chest.” And just as Rumple is about to snatch the pirate’s heart, a woman emerges from the shadows screaming for him to stop. Holy crap, Milah is back from the dead!
Okay, not really. As it turns out Milah fell in love with Jones way-back-when that night in the bar and actually chose to leave with him so that she could live a life with an adventurous man. Milah (like a true pirate) says that she captured the man with the red hat and will trade the magic bean for their freedom. Unfortunately, The Dark One does not like it when he’s not in control and once Milah added insult to injury (“I never loved you!”) Rumple ripped out his wife’s heart and crushed it to dust. The magic-crazed man tells Jones, “I want you alive because I want you to suffer like I did,” and then quickly slices off the pirate's hand clutching the bean.
Apparently Jones is as clever as he is cute. The pirate tricked Rumple, and, with a small slight-of-hand, he managed to keep the bean. (Too bad it cost him a limb to be able to pull off this beginner’s magic trick.) We soon learn that the man with the red hat is named Smee and he agrees to join Jones’ pirate crew once he learns of their next destination—a place where no one ages: Neverland. Jones throws the bean into the ocean and as the ship prepares to travel into the swirling vortex to their new land, the captain decides that a large silver hook would look quite nice where his hand once was.
Fast-forward once again to present-day Fairytale Land and we see that Captain Hook has become quite chummy with Cora. The mother-of-all-evil shows the pirate her vile filled with magical ashes and says it’s the start they need to travel to a “curious” place known as Storybrooke. “Excellent.” Hook smiles darkly, “You’ll be able to see your daughter, and I can skin myself a crocodile.”
Storybrooke Secrets: The episode opens on a rather sweet note for our modern day beauty and the beast. Rumple is giving Belle (Emilie de Ravin) a gorgeous diamond-encrusted necklace in celebration for being together in an “honest” relationship. Belle coos, “Thank you for what you are doing and how you are changing.” But before the happy couple can have their night out on the (sleepy) town, Grumpy bursts into the shop all grumpy-like demanding his ax be returned to him and then calls Belle out on what we were all just thinking, “How can you be with such a monster?” Her boyfriend lunges at the dwarf and just as Belle yells at him to stop, Rumple’s appearance twists into his former “Dark One” look: complete with scales, glitter and a snarl. Turns out it was all just a bad dream, but when Belle goes off searching for her beloved in the middle of the night, she is shocked and confused to see Rumple up to his old magical ways spinning straw into gold. The next morning Belle confronts Rumple about his new midnight hobby, but he evades the truth and retells her that magic is power. Belle snaps back, “You don’t need power Rumple. You need courage to let me in.” Burn.
Down in the mines, the dwarves—only six of them this time—are swinging away in hopes of finding the much needed fairy dust. And just who is right next to them lending a helping hand? Charming (Josh Dallas) of course! We then get a much appreciated glance at Charming’s bulging biceps and perfectly chiseled chest and can all agree that Snow is definitely one lucky lady. Henry (Jared Gilmore) is in the mine too, but he’s just awkwardly standing there, eating a muffin and not helping at all. Rumple discovers that Belle is missing and even though she is completely fine and having some well-deserved girl bonding time with Red (Meghan Ory) at Grannies, he is still in a panic. He immediately heads over to confront Belle’s father, who coincidently has been desperately searching for his daughter since the curse was lifted. Upon reaching a dead-end with Belle’s befuddled papa, Rumple decides to beg Acting Sheriff Charming to help him find her. What Rumple doesn’t know is Belle’s dad has hired the smarmy man we know to be Smee to kidnap his own daughter for him.
After getting over the shock of being snatched off the street, Belle is delighted to see her father. She explains that ever since the curse had been lifted she was willingly staying with Rumple. “He wasn’t holding me captive, I chose to be with him.” Her father is not pleased with this news and demands that she stay away from “The Dark One.” Naturally being a grown woman, Belle does not appreciated being told what she can and cannot do and she turns to storm out. Unfortunately, the book-loving babe is then re-kidnapped when her father orders Smee to take her away darkly telling him, “Do it.”
Using Red’s newly re-discovered scent-tracking abilities (“I guess it’s because of the wolf thing.”) Charming and Rumple confront Belle’s father. They quickly realize that the man’s over-protectiveness has caused him to take drastic measures against his daughter. He tells Rumple with a super intense look in his eyes, “I have to make her forget about you no matter the cost. Even if it means she forgets me too.” The crazed father has ordered Smee to use the mine’s tunnels to push Belle past the Storybrooke boundaries, thus erasing all of her memories. Just as the mining cart was about to whirl towards the edge of town, Rumple used his recently perfected magic to pull her out of harm's way. Her memory is still intact but Belle is all kinds of pissed at the two men in her life, and she turns to her newfound friend Red for comfort and pancakes. While enjoying her breakfast, Belle receives very special gift—the key to the closed library. As it turns out, Rumple pulled some (purse)strings and the building full of books is now Belle’s. He also takes an opportunity to tell his lady the truth as to why he brought magic back to Storybrooke: to find his son Bae. “After he left, I dedicated myself to finding him, I went down many many paths until I found a curse that could take me to the land where he’d escaped. Now I find myself in this little town.” Rumple says he is determined to break the new curse so that he may be able to leave Storybrooke and find Bae. Remember the random man from the very beginning of the season two premiere? Ding ding ding! I think we’ve found ourselves a winner!
What do you think of “The Crocodile”? Intrigued to see what happens with Rumple and his long-lost son? Bummed that we didn’t see Emma and Snow? Cast your spell in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: ABC]
MORE:
'Once Upon a Time' Recap: Lancelot Lies a Lot
'Once Upon a Time' Recap: Wicked Beginnings and Optimistic Endings
'Once Upon a Time' Recap: A Bewitching Beginning for Season 2

The Ides of March are upon us, and the impressive teaming of the classic George Clooney and the vibrant Ryan Gosling is inspiring. In fact, it’s such a potent power duo that it makes us think of other great pairings of the past.
What films have provided us with such superhuman stardom? Whose forces have joined to relinquish unmitigated glory? Let’s take a look…
Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in Philadelphia
The Power of Hanks: Tireless relatability. Putting the everymanest everyman ever in the taboo position of being a gay man afflicted with AIDS makes the situation seem more real, less alien, and far more sympathetic to those who had discounted it prior.
The Power of Washington: Extreme intimidation. Maybe you can brush off a message that someone else might deliver to you…but if Denzel tells you that you should feel something in a movie, you’re terrified not to feel it. He might hear about it. Then you’ll be in trouble.
When They Join Forces: We get one of the most powerful movies of the 1990s—sympathetic, hard-hitting, not without humor, even in the darkest parts (that’s life, after all), and definitely something that’ll get through to you.
Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in Fight Club
The Power of Norton: Brooding psychological fragmentation that couldn’t possibly have been more appealing to the aging Gen-Xers to whom this movie was dedicated.
The Power of Pitt: The ability to make you—no matter how happy you were with your life at the time of stepping into the movie—wish you were Tyler Durden. You begin to question the merit of your cookie-cutter life, your “surface value” job and relationships, and even your own morals. All because Brad Pitt is just so damn cool.
When They Join Forces: We get the iconic story of every single over privileged young adult in the 1990s coming to terms with himself, his world, his mind, his choices, and his taste in music. The Pixies record sales must have shot up like a thousand times that year.
Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs
The Power of Foster: The perfect balance of courage and fear. Foster as an FBI agent braving both the waters of a male dominated industry, and taking on an incredibly dangerous case with the help of an incredibly dangerous individual to boot—but none of it ever seems hokey, thrill-driven or making-a-statement-esque on the part of the actress. She plays a very human character very humanly.
The Power of Hopkins: Horror. Not just because he eats people—although that’s not exactly one of his more affectionate qualities—
When They Join Forces: We get one of the strangest, most unforgettable partnerships (and, if you would be so bold as to call it this, friendships) in cinematic history, and one of the most haunting and intriguing movies of the past few decades.
Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat, The Godfather Part 2, Righteous Kill
The Power of DeNiro: Reservation. DeNiro has his tipping point, but he keeps it bottled well until absolutely necessary. That’s what’s great about classic Bobby D performances: you know what’s coming, you just don’t know when.
The Power of Pacino: The exact opposite of reservation. Al Pacino comes flying onto the screen like a bat out of hell. His idea of a subdued performance is only one heart attack on set. But it’s never overdone.
When They Join Forces: We get a big heap of cement (that’s DeNiro), speckled with chunks of gravel (that’s Pacino) to form arguably the mightiest duo in Hollywood.
Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive
The Power of Ford: That grimace. That clench-jawed, grumbling grimace that says, “Get off my plane,” “Give me back my family,” “Why did it have to be snakes?” and “Greedo never shoulda shot first.”
The Power of Jones: What powers does Jones NOT have? He can play the ultimate badass. He can play a craven coward. He is a true warrior of cinema, and is nearly unrivaled in superhuman acting abilities.
When They Join Forces: We get an unstoppable powerhouse cataclysm dynamite volcano explosion of wonder. Or, you know…something in that neighborhood.
Christian Bale and Johnny Depp in Public Enemies
The Power of Bale: Heightened strength and agility, superb detective/analytical skills, advanced technology including the Batmobile…oh, wait. Wrong movie…um, chiseled jaw?
The Power of Depp: The Baritone Salamander. That’s his superhero name. When not overdoing it in Burtonian hyper-roles, Depp is actually a prized performer
When They Join Forces: We get a clash of the swift-winged titans—and probably the handsomest face-off in recent history.
Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County
The Power of Streep: Authenticity. It has been said of Meryl Streep, “She’s so authentic. [You] really believe everything is actually happening to her. There's no acting there” (Elaine Benes). Well, who are we to disagree?
The Power of Eastwood: Grrr…
When They Join Forces: We get a pleasant surprise. As music soothes the savage beast does the whimsical Streep to the gruffled and grisly Eastwood. Sure, when we think Clint, we think shoot outs and war stories. But is this not a timeless romance, appreciated by all—except that one woman in In &amp; Out? It is.
Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in Rain Man
The Power of Hoffman: Complete and utter dedication. Dustin Hoffman gets so incredibly immersed into character that he was famously mocked by Sir Laurence Olivier for being far too over-prepared for his roles. But it pays off in spades—
The Power of Cruise: Narcissism. That’s not a dig at the actor, it’s one at his characters. Cruise manages to channel perfectly the ideas of entitlement and self-absorption, injecting them quite well into stories like Rain Man, which was more about his struggle to open his heart to something than about his brother’s trials with autism.
When They Join Forces: We get truly moving film about, more than anything else, family. Sure, Cruise’s character had no idea that Hoffman’s was his brother for the first three decades of his life…but the connection was organically formed between the two least likely of hosts. It’ll get ya.
Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption
The Power of Robbins: Stoicism. Andy Dufresne was in control from the get-go…or at least after the whole cheating wife debacle. Something clicked in him right around the presumed time he “quit drinking,” and he managed to chauffer us all through a journey about understanding yourself and your world.
The Power of Freeman: Fatherliness. Even in the dark pit of a jail cell full of deranged psychopaths, if you’ve got Morgan Freeman on your side, you can never feel too unsettled.
When They Join Forces: We get friendship. An incredibly meaningful friendship. Shawshank is a story about freedom—more internal freedom than literal—and part of Red’s freedom came from his acquirement of a true friend from whom he could learn things about life.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic and Revolutionary Road
The Power of DiCaprio: Humanity. In so many DiCaprio roles, these included, he is gruffled, yet clean-cut. Good guy, yet dirtbag. Whether a middle class sell-out or an impoverished young artist who lies his way into the company of an aristocratic beauty, Leo is always firing on all cylinders.
The Power of Winslet: Her powers are innumerable. She’s never delivered a role that was anything below spectacular.
When They Join Forces: We get heartbreak. Either both of them die, or their marriage sours to the point of irrevocability. Either way, it’s a somber tale of the experience of love. But hey—that’s Hollywood!

Synopsis

Following the eminently successful film inspired by one of his hit records, "The Gambler", Kenny Rogers starred in a second TV-movie also based on one of his records, teaming with the same director and co-writer of the earlier smash film. He plays a small-town Southern preacher whose nephew is deemed a coward because he refuses to join the service in the days just after December 7, 1941, honoring a pledge he made to his dying father.